ChemRegs Newsletter – May 2026

The Chemicals (Health and Safety) (Amendment, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026

The Chemicals (Health and Safety) (Amendment, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 came into force on 21 May 2026.

The Regulations amend certain requirements under the following regimes:

• GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (GB CLP)
• GB Biocidal Products Regulation (GB BPR)
• GB Prior Informed Consent Regulation (GB PIC)

These amendments include, among others:

• Revoking unnecessary notification requirements under GB CLP
• Introducing a new system for adopting mandatory classification and labelling of substances (GB MCLs), including a bespoke GB MCL work plan which is currently in development
• Extending the expiry date to 31 July 2031 for approved biocidal active substances with expiry dates between 23 June 2026 and 30 July 2031, providing renewal applications are submitted
• Removing the Special Reference Identification Number requirement for exports of small quantities of chemicals for research or analysis or in an emergency under GB PIC

The HSE website has been updated to reflect these latest regulatory requirements with details of the changes to GB CLP and GB BPR.

The government has also committed to introduce further legislation in 2027 to adopt a consistent CLP regime across GB and Northern Ireland (where EU chemicals legislation continues to apply). This includes the consideration of adopting 6 new hazard classes into GB CLP that were recently adopted into EU CLP. See our April Newsletter for more information.

ISO 14001, 9001, 45001

The ISO standards 14001:2015 (Environmental Management), 9001:2015 (Quality), and 45001:2018 (Occupational Health & Safety) are being revised.

ISO 14001:2015 → ISO 14001:2026

ISO 14001:2026 (Environmental management systems) was published in April 2026 and has introduced clearer guidance and a stronger alignment with key environmental priorities such as climate change, biodiversity and resource efficiency.

The changes that have been made in the 2026 edition include:

• Terms and definitions (Clause 3): New definition of risk and opportunities: potential adverse effects (i.e. risks) and potential beneficial effects (i.e. opportunities)
• Leadership & Commitment (Clause 5): Top management must now actively demonstrate and promote a culture of quality, ethical behavior, and integrity. Organizations will need to provide “evidence” of this during audits.
• Planning (Clause 6): Greater detail for considering environmental aspects for each stage of an activity, product or service’s life cycle. Risks and opportunities arising from environmental aspects need to be assessed.
• Operation (Clause 8): “Externally provided processes” replaces “outsourced processes” to provide clarity.
• Annex A Guidance: A significantly expanded Annex A, providing clearer guidance for implementation and auditing.

Transition Timeline

ISO 14001:2015 published	15th September 2015
Draft International Standard (DIS) issued	November 2025
Final Draft International Standard (DIS) issued	January 2026
Final Publication ISO 14001:2026 published	15th April 2026
Transition deadline	14th April 2029

ISO 9001:2015 → ISO 9001:2026

ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) is officially under revision with final publication expected from September 2026.

The new edition of the standard will modernise the standard with stronger emphasis on risk-based thinking, digital transformation, supply chain oversight, ethical leadership, sustainability and organisational resilience, while retaining Annex SL and the familiar structure.

Transition Timeline

ISO 9001:2015 published	15th September 2015
Draft International Standard (DIS) issued	August 2025
Final Draft International Standard (DIS) issued	Expected mid-2026
Final Publication ISO 9001:2026 published	Q3 or Q4 2026
Transition deadline	Q3 or Q4 2029

During the transition window, certification to ISO 9001:2015 remains valid, but users will need to fully adopt the 2026 edition before the transition expires.

Expected areas of change include:

• Organizational Context (Clause 4): Organizations must formally determine whether climate change is a relevant issue that affects the QMS.
• Leadership & Commitment (Clause 5): Top management must now actively demonstrate and promote a culture of quality, ethical behavior, and integrity. Organizations will need to provide “evidence” of this during audits.
• Planning (Clause 6): Risk and opportunity-based thinking are now formally separated into distinct sub-clauses to allow organizations to plan for positive opportunities more distinctly from simply mitigating negative risks.
• Support & Awareness (Clause 7): Employee awareness requirements have been expanded so that staff understand the organization’s quality culture and ethical expectations. The update also introduces requirements for software validation for systems used in monitoring and measuring.
• Harmonized Structure: The standard has been realigned with the latest version of the ISO Harmonized Structure (formerly Annex SL) to make integration with other standards (like ISO 14001 and ISO 45001) much easier.
• Annex A Guidance: For the first time, an extensive supplementary guidance annex has been added to clarify interrelationships between clauses and ensure consistent implementation globally.

ISO 45001:2018 → ISO 45001:2027

ISO 45001 (Occupational health and safety management systems) is currently undergoing a full revision. A Draft International Standard (DIS) is expected during 2026, with the revised standard anticipated to be published in 2027.

The revision is intended to ensure ISO 45001 remains aligned with modern occupational health and safety challenges, including the evolving nature of workplace safety.

Expected updates include:

• Wellbeing & Mental Health: Recognising psychosocial hazards as core to OHS.
• Inclusivity & Diversity: Ensuring safety measures support equity and diverse needs.
• Climate Emergency Readiness: Adds resilience planning for climate-related disruptions.
• Harmonized Structure and Terminology: Aligns with Annex SL revisions across ISO standards to simplify integration.

Formal transition timelines will be confirmed once the final standard is published.

Guidance on risk to bees from biocides

The ECHA guidance document titled: ‘Guidance to assess the risks to bees from the use of biocides’ has been adopted by HSE in Great Britain (GB).

The guidance describes how to perform a risk assessment for bees, in accordance with Article 19(1)(b)(iv) of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR).

It proposes a tiered approach scheme for the exposure estimation in different scenarios, hazard characterisation and a risk assessment methodology covering both dietary and contact exposure. It aims to assess the risk to bees from biocidal product type (PT) 18 (insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods) emission scenarios for products containing at least 1 active substance with an insecticidal mode of action. It applies to the evaluation of both biocidal products and active substances.

It also provides recommendations for:

• Higher tier assessment
• Metabolite risk assessment
• Biocidal product risk assessment

The 4 routes of exposure covered by the guidance are:

• Application of manure/sludge from animal housing (for example from insecticide use in stables/manure storage systems)
• Apraying on walls and foundations of buildings
• Irrigation of private gardens with treated water (for example where rainwater barrels are treated to control mosquitoes and the water is subsequently used in private gardens)
• Large scale spraying of trees, bushes or natural water bodies

The guidance was first published in the EU in February 2024 and covers an area where guidance did not previously exist.

The guidance applies to GB applications submitted to HSE after 1 February 2027. This guidance already applies to new Northern Ireland applications being submitted.

The adopted guidance is available on the HSE website.

An accompanying modelling tool to use alongside the guidance is also available. This is the B-risk – ‘Bee risk calculator for biocides’, which has been adapted from the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) existing tool for plant protection products. The bee risk calculator for biocides incorporates biocide-specific sources of exposure and offers a tailored interface.

The tool itself is hosted on EFSA R4EU portal platform, to which users will be redirected. To access the R4EU portal, users must register first on that portal. The user manual for biocide B-risk is available directly within the tool.

Please note that the B-risk tool belongs to EFSA, who offers it subject to acceptance of its terms of use.

Stakeholders should note that biocides are in scope of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement currently being negotiated between the UK and the EU. Once negotiations on the SPS Agreement have concluded, HSE will communicate further on any implications the agreement has for the sector. It is noted that adoption of this guidance aligns GB with EU processes.

HSE launches sixth edition of The Approved List of Biological Agents

HSE has published the sixth edition of The Approved List of Biological Agents, which provides the classification of biological agents as referred to in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).

It is approved by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) and is relevant to risk assessment for work with biological agents and the application of appropriate control measures.

The approved list is for use by:

• People who deliberately work with biological agents, especially those in research, development, teaching or diagnostic laboratories and industrial processes, or
• Those who work with humans or animals who are (or are suspected to be) infected with such an agent

ACDP, in consultation with other experts, periodically reviews the list to consider any new evidence to support the addition of new agents or any changes to the classification of agents already listed.

This sixth edition of the Approved List includes the following changes:

• SARS-CoV-2 has been reclassified as a Hazard Group 2 (HG 2) agent
• Poliovirus serotypes 1 and 3 have been reclassified as Hazard Group 3 (HG 3) agents
• Corrections and clarifications of existing classifications

If you are working with biological agents, it is important that you review the updated Approved List for any changes to ensure that you continue to implement the appropriate control measures in accordance with the hazard group classification.

You can download the sixth edition of the Approved List of Biological Agents on the HSE website.

Additional guidance on the classification of existing permitted activities undertaken with genetically modified (GM) SARS-CoV-2 following the hazard group change has been issued by HSE.

For more information on anything in this Newsletter, please contact us at info@chemregs.co.uk